Eggplant And Wild Mushroom Pasta With Ricotta Salata Recipes

PASTA ALLA NORMA RECIPE

Steps:

• Slice and Salt the Eggplant. Trim the eggplant and partially peel them in a striped pattern (zebra pattern). Slice them into ½ inch thick rounds. Season the eggplant slices with kosher salt on both sides and lay them flat for a few minutes (up to 30 minutes if you have the time). Wipe the eggplant dry and remove excess salt using a paper towel.
• Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Roast the eggplant. Brush the bottom of a large sheet pan (or two) with extra virgin olive oil. Arrange the eggplant slices in the pans in one single layer (eggplant slices should not overlap, each should be comfortably touching the bottom of the sheet pan). Roast in the heated oven until deeply golden brown, anywhere from 35 to 40 minutes, turning over mid-way through.
• Make the Sauce. Meanwhile, get going on the sauce. In a large deep pan, heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, lower the heat and cook, tossing regularly, until the garlic gains a little bit of color. Add the tomatoes (with their juices), oregano and a good pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a quick boil, then lower the heat and let simmer briefly.
• When ready, add the roasted eggplant to sauce. Let simmer while you cook the pasta.
• Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package instructions (mine took about 11 minutes). Drain and combine the pasta with the eggplant and sauce (if needed, add a little bit of the pasta water and toss until the pasta is well-coated). Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Add chopped parsley and grated ricotta salata cheese to finish.

EGGPLANT AND WILD MUSHROOM PASTA WITH RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• Combine the porcinis and chicken stock in a small pot and bring up to a boil. Reduce the heat to lowest setting and let the mushrooms soften and steep for 10 to 15 minutes, until very tender.
• Place a pot of water on the stove to boil for the pasta. When it boils, salt the water to season it. Cut a small x into the bottom of the tomatoes and plunge them into the boiling pasta water for 30 seconds, then remove to a cutting board to cool. Add the cavatappi to the water and cook to al dente, or with a bite to it.
• While the porcinis and pasta cook, trim half of the skin from the eggplant.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the eggplant into 1- by 1/2-inch bite-size pieces. Add the EVOO to the pan, followed by the garlic and eggplant. Turn and toss the eggplant and season it with salt and pepper. Let it brown lightly at edges, about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook.
• Pull the skins off the cooled tomatoes and cut them in half. Seed the tomatoes by gently squeezing them over the sink or a garbage bowl. Dice the tomatoes and add them to the cooking eggplant. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Remove the tender porcinis from the cooking broth and coarsely chop them. Add the broth and chopped mushrooms to the eggplant and tomatoes. Drain the pasta well and add the hot pasta to the pan. Toss to combine and coat and give the pasta a minute to soak in some juice. Add the ricotta salata and the basil; turn to wilt the basil, check the seasoning one last time, and serve.
• Options
• If your market has no ricotta salata (ricotta cheese that's been dried out a little), then use the same amount of feta but go easy on the salt you use in your preparation until your final adjustment because feta is saltier than ricotta salata. Tangy young goat cheese is an option, too. If you use goat cheese, toss and serve the dish without adding the goat cheese directly to the pan. Instead, garnish the individual plates with some crumbles, 2 ounces per portion. Goat cheese is too delicate to mix in as you would the feta or ricotta salata.

EGGPLANT BAKED WITH TOMATOES AND RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Use a little of the oil to brush the bottom of an oblong baking dish, like a lasagna pan, 9 by 13 inches. Snip off any stems from the eggplants but keep the leaves on. Quarter the eggplants vertically and place them skin side down in the baking dish. Brush the cut sides with oil, about a tablespoon. Season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and bake 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, but keep oven on. Place the eggplant quarters on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut away the flesh, quite close to the skin. Dice the flesh, then chop it fine, by hand or in a food processor. But don't let it become a purée.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a heavy skillet. Add the ham and sauté on medium until it barely starts to brown. Add the garlic and oregano, sauté another 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes. Cook on medium-high until any juices from the tomatoes begin to reduce, about 5 minutes. Stir in the eggplant. Season with salt, black pepper and Espelette. Stir in 1/2 tablespoon of the remaining oil.
• Top the eggplant skins with this mixture, mounding it up a bit. Return eggplants to the baking dish. Top each with the cheese and drizzle with remaining oil. Bake 20 minutes, until eggplants start to sizzle and cheese has softened - it won't melt. Serve at once or let cool and serve at room temperature.

PASTA WITH ROASTED EGGPLANT SAUCE AND RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425°F. Place a large pot of water on to boil.
• Place the eggplant on a cookie sheet. Pour about 1/2 cup EVOO into a dish. Brush the eggplant lightly with the EVOO. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper. Add the garlic to the cookie sheet and dab it with EVOO as well. Roast for 20 minutes or until both the garlic and the eggplant are tender.
• When the water comes to a boil, salt it liberally and add the pasta. Cook the pasta al dente, with a bite to it.
• Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of EVOO and the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Place the cooked eggplant and the garlic in a food processor and process it into a smooth paste. Add the eggplant paste to the cooked onions then stir in the crushed tomatoes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Toss with the drained hot pasta and the shredded or torn basil. Top the pasta with lots of crumbled ricotta salata.

PASTA WITH LEMON, HERBS AND RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with water and add enough salt so that you can taste it. Bring to a boil. Pour the chicken broth into a small saucepan, drop in the garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce by half. Remove garlic. Shut off the heat; add the lemon zest and juice. Season to taste. It should be highly seasoned because this will be the sauce for the pasta. Keep warm. Place 4 serving bowls in a low oven.
• When the water comes to a boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente. After five minutes, ladle out about 1 cup of the cooking water and reserve. Drain the pasta, shake, then return it to the pot. Place over low heat and pour in the chicken broth. Sprinkle in the mint, marjoram and fennel and a little olive oil. Stir. The pasta should be brothy and lemony. Add some of the reserved cooking water, salt and more lemon juice, if needed.
• Spoon into bowls so that the pasta is lying in a bit of broth. Crumble the ricotta over top, sprinkle with a dash more oil and grind pepper over the top. Serve.